Apparatus for the protection of a package, plant, animal, or human

ABSTRACT

An inflatable apparatus which protects a package, plant, animal, or human from the elements, from impact from a fall, or from a predator when said package, plant, animal or human is placed with the apparatus. The apparatus can be inflated quickly because the entire apparatus does not have to be inflated to obtain its full size. The interior of the ball provides for a compartment separate from an inflatable compartment so that the compartment which is inflated with pressurized gas in order to hold the form of the apparatus can contain an atmosphere completely separate from the inner-most compartment of the apparatus in which a package, plant, animal, or human can be placed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 4,076,872 Feb. 28, 1978 Lewicki 4,847,126 Jul. 11, 1989 Yamashiro, et all 7,017,747 Mar. 28, 2006 Kiger, et all 7,131,805 Nov. 7, 2006 Morris 7,462,030 Jan. 8, 1990 Koda 4,943,252 Jul. 24, 1990 Manix

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Packages, plants, animals, or humans can be protected by the use of containers made of wood, metal, plastic, and other materials. These containers are prebuilt before use to a size for the package, plant, animal, or human. They are heavy, large, and subject to destruction upon impact. They typically cannot be made in a few minutes.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide protection for a package, plant, animal, or human by the use of a compact container that can be stored in a small area but can be made large enough for a package, plant, animal, or human. The protection is from the environment or from impact when the invention and the package, plant, animal, or human falls from a considerable distance.

Present technology such as the Zorb ball, an inflatable ball, uses the outside membrane of the ball as both the outside of the entire ball and the inside of a compressed gas volume that is maintained in relation to a second chamber in which a human can be placed. This design requires that the entire volume between the outside membrane and the outside of the inside chamber be filled with a compressed gas. This present technology has two chambers, the chamber filled with gas being very large and therefore requiring significant time for inflation however this present technology is for recreation so significant inflation time is not an issue.

The apparatus of this invention has three or more compartments. The additional compartments significantly reduces the size of the outer-most compartment and thus provides for rapid sphere inflation and uses considerably less pressurized gas volume. This permits very rapid inflation and thus the sphere can be used for emergency purposes where a short inflation time is of the essence.

The outside membrane of the invention is of a flexible material which obtains its shape by inflating the outer-most chamber which is small in volume, thus the need for a small amount of inflating gas.

The outside membrane of the invention is transparent, colored, or reflective to control the amount of outside light and heat from entering or leaving the inner compartments.

The outside membrane of the invention is smooth if rolling is desired or has fins to slow the ball from rapid decent when falling in the atmosphere or from rolling on the ground.

The inner-most compartment of the invention is isolated from the outside by at least two compartments so when the apparatus is interfacing with liquid or air, the liquid or air does not enter the inner-most compartment. Thermal isolation from the outside to the inside of the ball is also provided.

The next to outer-most compartment has a tube connection to the atmosphere to allow air to fill its chamber as the outer-most compartment is inflated.

The inner-most compartment has an environment that may be connected to the atmosphere as may the compartment between the outer-most compartment and the inner-most compartment.

There is a tube tunnel that allows a package, plant, animal, or human to enter the inner-most compartment from outside of the ball.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a rapidly inflatable spherical apparatus which can contain within it a package, plant, animal, or human in order to isolate and protect the package, plant, animal, or human from the environment and to reduce damage to the package, plant, animal, or human upon impact from a fall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—Shows the sphere and the outer membrane which is in contact with the atmosphere, the ground, or water.

The outer-most compartment, a narrow bladder, is shown with its supports between the outer membrane and the next-inner membrane. The various tunnels show connecting the atmosphere with the second compartment and the inner-most compartment. The tunnel which allows the package, plant, animal, or human to enter from the outside to the inner-most compartment is shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus is used to protect a package, plant, animal, or human from the environment. If a package, plant, animal, or human were on a body of water and the floatation mechanism on which they are being conveyed, a ship or boat, or in the case where the package, plant, animal, or human is directly in the water, and the package, plant, animal, or human were in danger, the ball would be inflated and the package, plant, animal, or human would be placed inside the inner-most compartment. Inside the compartment the package, plant, animal, or human would float isolated from the water and be protected from the sun, wind, precipitation, and water creatures.

If a package, plant, animal, or human were on land and in danger from the elements, from falling, or from any predator, the sphere would be inflated and the package, plant, animal, or human would be placed inside the inner-most compartment to be isolated from the environment or predator.

If the apparatus were to fall with the package, plant, animal, or human inside, the ball would provide a cushion from impact with the ground.

If the apparatus were to roll down a mountain or be in a hostile environment, the package, plant, animal, or human would be protected.

If the package, plant, animal, or human were elevated such that departing from a structure or elevated device would cause a package, plant, animal, or human to fall with sufficient velocity to be damaged upon impact with the earth or some other structure, the package, plant, animal, or human would be placed inside the apparatus and would be protected by the cushioning of the outermost and next-to-outermost compartments of the apparatus upon impact.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

-   1 The flexible outer-most membrane of the ball. -   2 The separators which keep the outer-most membrane of the ball at a     fixed distance from the inner membrane. -   3 The inflatable outer-most compartment. -   4 The inlet for inflating the outer-most compartment. -   5 The next to outer-most compartment which is the cushion between     the inner-most and outer-most compartments. -   6 A tube connection from the next to outer-most compartment to the     atmosphere. -   7 Spokes that keep the inner-most compartment at a fixed distance     from the outer-most compartment. -   8 The flexible inner-most compartment for a package, plant, animal,     or human. -   9 The tunnel from outside the ball to the inner-most compartment. -   10 A sealable door from the atmosphere to the tunnel. -   11 A sealable door from the tunnel to the inner-most compartment. -   12 Sealable tubes from the inner-most compartment to the atmosphere. -   13 Fins on the outer-most compartment which can be used to slow     decent or rolling. 

1. An apparatus comprised of: Three or more flexible, concentric compartments, labeled as the outer-most, next to outer-most, and inner-most compartments which are formed in the shape of a sphere by the pressurization of only the outer-most compartment.
 2. The apparatus in claim 1 where: There is a mechanism which is a part of the outer-most compartment of the apparatus allowing the compartment to be inflated and sealed.
 3. The apparatus in claim 1 where: There are tube connections from the atmosphere to the compartments within the outer-most compartment allowing those compartments to fill with atmosphere as the outer-most compartment is being pressurized.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The apparatus in claim 1 where: All membranes are clear, colored, or mirrored.
 6. The ball in claim 1 where: There are more than three components.
 7. The apparatus in claim 1 where: The outer-most compartment is only sufficient in volume to inflate the compartment so that the ball takes on the shape of a sphere.
 8. The apparatus in claim 1 where: The compartments within the outer-most compartment are not pressurized.
 9. The apparatus in claim 1 where: There is an outer-most membrane which separates the outer-most compartment from the atmosphere.
 10. The apparatus in claim 1 where: The three or more compartments are separated by membranes.
 11. The apparatus in claim 1 where: The outer-most membrane of the apparatus is connected to the next to outer-most membrane by connections that are flexible and keep the outer-most membrane at a fixed distance from the next to outer-most membrane.
 12. The apparatus in claim 1 where: Each membrane and the next membrane within the apparatus are connected in the same manner as claim
 11. 13. The apparatus in claim 1 where: Fins may or may not extend outward from the outer-most membrane.
 14. The apparatus in claim 1 where: There is an opening from the outside of the apparatus to the inner-most compartment large enough for a package, plant, animal, or human to pass through.
 15. The apparatus in claim 1 where: The inner-most compartment is large enough for a package, plant, animal, or human. 